Just buy a new refrigerator, install the Android app, and you're ready to go!

Samsung is jumping into the nascent smart home market with the appropriately named "Samsung Smart Home" service. The service is launching in the United States and Korea today via an Android app and a small handful of compatible appliances.

Samsung didn't elaborate on what the app does right now, but the company did say that users can "manage" compatible devices that are connected to a home network. Samsung said the system will eventually allow you to "say goodnight to the TV remote control and connected devices within the home, such as the Smart Bulb, and air conditioners could be set up to automatically turn off." At the bottom of its blog post, Samsung said that this functionality won't be ready until the second half of this year.

The app appears to support things like turning compatible appliances on and off via buttons announcing that you are leaving the house, coming home soon, sleeping, or just waking up.

And now for the really annoying part of any smart home solution: compatibility. The Android app is not limited to Samsung devices, but you will need a Samsung account to sign up. In the United States, the service currently appears to be compatible with two items: the "Samsung Smart French Door Refrigerator" and the "Samsung Smart Front Loading Washing Machine." That's it for right now—two whole appliances.

Samsung said it will also make an app for the Tizen-based Gear 2 "soon," and an app for Samsung's 2014 smart TV models will come in April. The company also says it wants to expand the service to its smart bulbs, robot vacuum cleaners, and the Gear Fit, which is a nice way of saying that none of those things are currently compatible.

Every system has to start somewhere, though, and Samsung certainly has the electronics and appliance product lineup to make its solution work. It looks like it will take some time for Samsung to get everything in order, and even when everything is ready, you'll have to buy all new appliances to take advantage of Samsung's new system.

Ron Amadeo
Ron is the Reviews Editor at Ars Technica, where he specializes in Android OS and Google products. He is always on the hunt for a new gadget and loves to rip things apart to see how they work. Emailron.amadeo@arstechnica.com//Twitter@RonAmadeo

Looking forward to things like this ...but I soooo fear how piss poor their security is likely to be and how much they will likely put my home network at risk... personally likely gonna DMZ these types of things.

I quite like the idea of using data that was already there and doing (perhaps) something useful with it.

E.g.: - Get a text messsage if something is about to pass its due date. - If you've saved a recipe in a cooking app, have it tell you what is still available in the closet/fridge and mark it as "Possible".- Going further on the above, with that knowledge, at the store, select recipe you want to make, and have it tell you what you still need to buy to create it.- Planning for a party, check with friends what booze you all have left and what cocktails can be produced and in what volume.

I envisioned the above using RFID tags that would be checked by the frigde themselves, but these tags are probably a bit too expensive to be applied to everything (and not mentioning if someone eats one). But I could see the way you tag your own groceries at the store being a helpful tool here, it gives you a starting point, and with a knowlegde service that has your home coordinates and drive time, it can even take that into account. And then it's a matter of specifying perhaps different destinations (if you're buying groceries for your grandma, that should not be stored under your fridge e.g.) and of course still having to delete it yourself (or have a smart garbage bin!).

Other interesting devices would be those that are dangerous when left unattended (ovens etc.):- Have it trigger an alarm if a certain condition is reached. - Have it auto-switch off when it is left unattended for too long - Have it call the Fire Dept. if things start going south.- Have it sent a message over WiFi when it is done pre-heating for your pizza, so you don't have to hang around the kitchen for too long.

- Let my car send the coffee machine a message if I am about 10 mins from my home, so I have it exactly when I open the kitchen door.

Is it for everyone? Probably not, but I'd like to have a bit of automation going on. But a service like Google Now could make that even more powerful and personal as its just its core and not its apps (on the periherals), of course apps that manage or aggregate their data would be very welcome.

I think/hope a separate and open Android Smart Home API will soon appear, as it happened with Android Wear. It's extremely portable.

I quite like the idea of using data that was already there and doing (perhaps) something useful with it.

E.g.: - Get a text messsage if something is about to pass its due date. - If you've saved a recipe in a cooking app, have it tell you what is still available in the closet/fridge and mark it as "Possible".- Going further on the above, with that knowledge, at the store, select recipe you want to make, and have it tell you what you still need to buy to create it.- Planning for a party, check with friends what booze you all have left and what cocktails can be produced and in what volume.

Other interesting devices would be those that are dangerous when left unattended (ovens etc.):- Have it trigger an alarm if a certain condition is reached. - Have it auto-switch off when it is left unattended for too long - Have it call the Fire Dept. if things start going south.

Let my car send the coffee machine a message if I am about 10 mins from my home, so I have it exactly when I open the kitchen door.

Is it for everyone? Probably not, but I'd like to have a bit of automation going on.

Yeah, I'd like my fridge to tell me exactly what I have ingredient-wise too, but this isn't the technology Samsung is currently developing. Maybe the very 1st step, but we're a long way from that reality.

Looking forward to things like this ...but I soooo fear how piss poor their security is likely to be and how much they will likely put my home network at risk... personally likely gonna DMZ these types of things.

A DMZ would be exactly the wrong place to put Samsung devices. The danger isn't just your smart appliance corrupting the rest of your network. It is someone hacking into an insecure, never-updated smart device from outside, and using its I/O capabilities to monitor you, or use it for spam, etc. E.g. your smart TV "new! with camera for video calling!" will give an attacker an, er, literal view into your living room, when you leave, and the list will go on and on.

with manus like nest (now a google subs) and samsung (..and others) jump-starting the heretofore only diy or richly bespoke (crestron et al) home automation market, it seems the big wave may be coming. there will be lots of net security issues to sort, but ultimately all new homes will have some compatibilities built-in, and for personal security, energy efficiency and pure convenience, this will be a good thing.

from early beta-testing i've used this as the heart of my home automation system for 7 or 8 years now -- it's very well designed, incredibly capable and customizable, and its dev support is unmatched; as it's under constant development it maintains support for the latest automation systems and devices (eg. insteon, z-wave, etc).

accessible anywhere via html, direct api, mac, pc, and mobile app, i use indigo to completely control the: security system, hvac, lights, appliances, audio/visual systems, irrigation, pool and phones in our house. custom built ipad/phone control pages make everything simple for lay (non-nerd) users. i can't enthuse enough about it and thought if others may be interested i'd post a link. i've no official affiliation with the company, just a fan...

The company also says it wants to expand the service to its smart bulbs, robot vacuum cleaners, and the Gear Fit, which is a nice way of saying that none of those things are currently compatible.

The Gear Fit and robot vacuum cleaners are a stretch, but smart bulbs should have been in there.

If they were serious about this, they would also have support for other networked devices, e.g. the Hue, Nest, etc. They're clearly not serious, though, they are thinking about this primarily as a means of lock-in and enforced brand loyalty, not as a real smart home system. It's a feature for their benefit, not yours.

s ...but I soooo fear how piss poor their security is likely to be and how much they will likely put my home network at risk... personally likely gonna DMZ these types of things.

I wouldn't be concerned with just the security of the appliances. The fact that you have to use an outside service not under your control with your information should be of concern too. Not to mention the "information" they will gather about you to be used for direct or 3rd party marketing. Bet you would get ads on your fridge to buy products if it has an LCD screen. Like we aren't marketed enough already.

On top of all of that EULA's have so much fine print in them these days it can change instantly and if you don't like it you really have no other options for a different service to use if you don't agree with the changes. So either drop and be without your "Home Automated" refrigerator (no sure why you would need it but...) or just take it up the A** and go with it.

After a year of enduring Samsung Smart TV, there's absolutely no way I'd consider buying... Well, anything with a Samsung UI actually!

It's amazing how annoying things like being prompted to run a Smart TV update are when all you want is to relax with a TV show, never mind all the system freezes.

Stick to components or vastly improve your user experience to win me back - I'll give another Samsung branded product a try in a decade or so...

Although I quite like a lot of Samsung stuff, I agree with you about their tvs. The general TV is pretty good for the price but the smart stuff is terrible, I just avoid it completely as it's largely just an exercise in frustration but the smart hub update one is particularly annoying. Rather than showing in the smart hub itself, it just randomly pops up in the middle of standard viewing putting a box right in the middle of the screen.

When I read the article I was hoping this meant Samsung were developing a decent Android application to work with their tvs as the current ones are poor but I see that's not the case.

BTW, that date on the package is NOT the due date - it's the sell-by date suggested by the manufacturer. The food is usually perfectly fine to consume for many days after the sell-by date, so don't throw it out and contribute to the epidemic of food waste in the industrialized world.

BTW, that date on the package is NOT the due date - it's the sell-by date suggested by the manufacturer. The food is usually perfectly fine to consume for many days after the sell-by date, so don't throw it out and contribute to the epidemic of food waste in the industrialized world.

My current refrigerator is 11 years old, need only be plugged in to work, operates exactly today as it did the day it was purchased, has never required maintenance of any kind (other than replacing the water filter) and at no point ever have I wished for it to be connected to any network.

And the great idea is to replace it with a device that includes wirelless network connectivity....a technology that requires setup, maintenance, endless updates, manufacturer support, may not work with other devices, and introduces security concerns.

This is a solution in search of a problem. The vast majority of the "smart home" movement is nothing more than marketing ideas that don't provide any real value to consumers while adding price and complexity and the added bonus of revealing yet more of your personal information to the world.